Crossroads
by Laughing Princess
Summary: Oneshot. When Sakura falls into a coma, an overprotective Sasuke stays by her bedside, guilt and sorrow raging through him. As she is trapped within her mind, Sakura tries to decide if she should just allow herself to wither away, instead of face reality and go through pain and sadness again. "When you meet someone, you never truly do forget them." Reviews are appreciated!


**All right, this is my second Sasusaku oneshot! YEAH! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, there would be more Sasusaku moments. **

* * *

_"Dawn comes, and we part ways once again._

_My dreams becoming distant apparitions._  
_I turn to the warm wind for help, the wind I felt every time you held me..._  
_As I was bathed in the light that followed on your heels..."_

_-_Shiki no Uta, end song from _Samurai Champloo_

* * *

"SAKURA!" Sasuke screamed, his voice tearing from his throat. But it was too late; the sword went through Sakura's sternum from behind, the tip of the katana emerging from her chest. Sasuke felt a sickening wave of nausea overcome him. Never before had he felt so sick during a battle, but watching that man cut down his teammate like it was nothing…

It made him sick to his stomach with anger.

Striking someone as kind and as sweet as Sakura from behind was cowardly and cruel.

The man behind her was a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Grass. Standing behind Sakura, he resembled a giant with a little ragdoll in front of him. A wicked smirk was on his face; mercilessly he yanked the sword out of Sakura, and as she started to fall it was like everything went in slow motion for Sasuke: Her blank stare, her mouth open in a half-scream that was frozen, and the blood that went in every direction caused Sasuke to feel nothing but cold.

With sickening crunch of the grass and leaves, Sakura's body fell onto the ground, the blood making a puddle so large that some of the tips of her pink hair had turned crimson.

At once Sasuke's vision became red. Anger, rage, and pure bloodlust coursed in his veins, making him feel even more sick as one thought continually repeated itself within his head.

_Sakura's dead. _

_ She's dead. She's dead._

_ How could she be dead? She was _right_ there…_

_ No, no, no, no…_

_ NO!_

An almost animalistic roar wrenched out of Sasuke's lips and he came crashing towards the man, taking the giant by surprise; wasting no time, Sasuke pulled out his katana and stabbed it through the Grass-nin's shoulder all the way into the ground, trapping him. The Grass shinobi let out a scream of pain as he tried to reach a hand around the blade of the katana, only for his hand to start bleeding.

Sasuke got to his feet, staring at the ground with his hands clenched into tight fists; a trickle of blood, unnoticed by the Uchiha, came out of his hands in small droplets. He was visibly shaking with fury, and his eyes were hidden by his long raven-black bangs.

"You took away what was precious to me…" the Uchiha finally spoke. "I was…I was going to protect her…she was alive…she was _alive,_ and you…you…" Sasuke's head snapped up, his eyes a whole different version of the sharingan, though this also went unnoticed by him. "How DARE you!" he roared, and his hands became a sudden blur before he let out a terrible scream of anguish, fire bursting from his mouth and incinerating the man. There was nothing left but ash; even his katana had disintegrated. Never before had Sasuke's Fire Jutsu been so potent, but he didn't pay further attention to it.

In a flash Sasuke was kneeling at Sakura's side. His eyes began to water as he grabbed her pale hand. Already she was beginning to turn an ashen color, the look of shock frozen on her face. Not thinking nor feeling, he cradled her in his arms, her head lifelessly lolling off of his arm a bit.

"Sakura…Sakura, hey. Snap out of it. Please. Just for a second. Please," he begged, his voice cracking. He couldn't help but feel his memories rewind back to the time when he had been a little boy, staring at the corpses of his family members. Seeing Sakura like this, his _fiancé,_ made him feel like a little child again.

But Sakura would not take another breath. Sasuke felt himself crack, and the tears began to pour as he got to his feet, holding Sakura in his arms bridle style. There had to be a way. Surely Tsunade or Shizune—or even Naruto's chakra—could save her, right?

Hoping desperately that Sakura would just hang in there, Sasuke quickly sprinted towards the Leaf Village.

* * *

"_Sakura?! What happened to her? Bring her to the ER, now! Sakura? Sakura, can you hear me? Sakura!"_

Someone was calling her name, that much Sakura was aware of. Her eyes swept across the land that was currently at, but there was not another person in sight.

_ "Uchiha, you stay away, you hear me?!"_

Uchiha…? Who was that? The name sounded painfully familiar to Sakura, but she could not recall who that was. It sounded like a last name, though.

Deciding to tune out the background shouts of her name and the sobbing, she instead focused on the warmth she felt where she currently was. There were many trees around her, the leaves floating lazily by with the wind, and she took a deep breath of air, a faint smile on her lips. The area was so serene and beautiful, so why were the voices so upset?

"Do you want to see him again?" a quiet voice asked.

Sakura spun around. A tall young man stood before her, dressed in simple clothing that had dark colors. Somehow he seemed awfully familiar to her; the sad eyes, the emotionless expression. He waited patiently for her to answer his question.

"What do you mean?" Sakura finally asked. "Who is 'him?'"

The man stared at her. "Ah…so you don't remember anything, then," he said, sounding disappointed. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in herself as well, though she didn't know why. "Sometimes that happens, when you're in that state. At least, that's what I've heard."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

"You're almost dead," the man said bluntly. "And if you don't remember your reason to live and strengthen your resolve, you will die, and then you'll be forced to move on. Right now we are in your mind, Sakura."

"How do you know my name?" said Sakura, tilting her head to the side, confused.

And then she heard an anguished voice, masculine this time, begging, _"Sakura, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…please, open your eyes, there's still some life…please, open your eyes…"_

The tall man winced at hearing the cries. He took a deep breath before he gave Sakura a look. "Sakura, he's the reason why you became so strong. You have many people waiting for you right now, and many would be devastated if you just gave up like this. Try to harden your resolve to live, for their sakes."

"But…this place doesn't seem so bad," Sakura said, gesturing at the bright blue sky and the dark green grass around them. "It's beautiful here, and the distress I hear in those voices doesn't make me want to leave this place. That man and woman that keep screaming for me…they sound upset. Tell me the truth: The voices, are they from a place that is scary? A world full of pain?"

"They miss you," said the man simply. He was now leaning against a tree, his arms folded in front of his chest. "You may not remember, but that's fine. When you meet someone, you never truly do forget them." He paused. "With friends like them, I have no doubt that you'll be happy. And vice versa, you would make them happy. As for your question regarding if whether or not the world of the living is a scary place…yeah, it is. But you can't live in fear."

Sakura stared at the man for a long, hard moment before she asked, "Do I know you? There's something familiar about you."

"We've met before, but at the time I was pretending to be a 'bad' guy," said the man, and for the first time his lips twitched upwards in an pseudo-smile. "I didn't harm you, though," he quickly assured her when her hopeful expression melted into distrust. "In any case, that's in the past."

_"Sakura, I'm so, so sorry,"_ the voice said, sounding like it was on the verge of crying.

Irritated with the voice that was cracking, she tried to tune out the voice again, when something hit her.

"Wait. You said this was my mind, right?" Sakura asked. When the man nodded his head, she put her hands on her hips. "Then doesn't that mean that…if I try hard…I can remember?"

"If you try," the man said gravely, nodding his head. "But you have to _want_ it, Sakura."

Sakura furrowed her brow before she concentrated. The man didn't speak much, but from what she understood so far was that she needed to remember her life previous before this strange new world appeared. _It better be worth it,_ she mentally grumbled to herself. And if it wasn't, she could always choose to remain here.

Her eyes tightly shut, she tried to remember something, anything, that could give her a clue as to who she was before arriving here, and what the owners of the voices she kept hearing meant to her. She tried to focus, tried to grasp something, and then she felt a sudden strange feeling over come her—a warm feeling, like when you step into a warm shower after being out in the cold rain for hours and hours and the relief you feel when you feel that amazing warmth.

That's what motivated her open her eyes, and when she did she couldn't repress a gasp that escaped from her lips. All around her were photographs suspended in the air, each one with people in them. All of them were easily tangible and faced her so that she wouldn't have to turn them over to look through the photos. Most of them, though, included two young men, one with blonde hair with a bright smile and the other with hair as dark as a night sky, a cocky yet kind smirk on his face. Some of them included herself, too—and she always was smiling, she noticed.

As she browsed through the photos, a smile formed on her face, tears slipping out of her eyes (she had always been emotional, there was no point to try to cover it up) as she slowly began to recognize the people within the photos, their faces began to have names, and along with the names came precious memories that she cherished.

She came to a stop in front of a particular photograph, one of her entire team. It was the first team photo taken long ago when she was twelve. More tears cascaded down her smiling face as she reached out and grabbed the photo.

"It was worth it, correct?" the man said, sounding pleased.

Sakura turned her head and stared up at the man with a gentle smile on her face; a smirk filled with pride was on his.

"Thank you, Itachi," she whispered. Though she was a little confused that he had come all this way to make sure she would choose to live, she was grateful for him. Even now, Sasuke's older brother was trying ensure his happiness; more tears came out of Sakura's emerald eyes as they sparkled with happiness.

"Tell Sasuke that I forgive him," Itachi said, smiling back. No longer did he look tired; in fact, he looked very much relieved. "And tell him that I will love him forever."

On impulse, Sakura took a few steps forward until she was standing in front of Itachi, and she wrapped her arms around Itachi in a warm embrace. "I will tell him that. I'm sure he will be happy to hear it." She took a step back from Itachi, and already she could hear the panicked voices getting louder. Everything around her became blurry, and she knew she was leaving. Reality was beckoning her, and she couldn't resist the invisible pull she was feeling.

"Farewell, Sakura," Itachi said, and although his tone was in monotone, his eyes seemed to spark with more life in them. "I will see Sasuke and you later."

And then there was a bright light...

* * *

She was in critical condition, frozen in a comatose state, but at the moment the pink-haired woman was in stable condition. Sasuke hadn't once left her side, remaining in her room at all times, his hand never letting go of hers unless it was absolutely needed.

Naruto had came all but barged into the room and, when he saw Sakura in her pitiful state, he had broke down in tears, not asking any questions about the assailant; anyone who knew Sasuke, or even knew about his reputation, didn't need to worry about her attacker getting away.

The two young men had stayed in her room, absolutely silent, until Kakashi had come in and told them that he could watch over Sakura. Naruto had reluctantly gotten to his feet to leave, as he had to go on a mission the next day, but Sasuke had heatedly informed Kakashi that he would remain where he was until Sakura woke up.

Kakashi had given Sasuke a sad look of pity, which absolutely disgusted the Uchiha. He didn't need pity; he needed Sakura's smile. Nothing else would make him feel better, and until she opened her eyes, he would remain beside her.

Two days passed, though, and there was no change in her condition. Sasuke always looked over at Sakura, always hopeful whenever he noticed her eyes twitch in her sleep. He thought it was a good sign, but when he reported it to Shizune the brunette had merely shaken her head.

"Sometimes patients do that while in a coma," the woman had said. "That's not always a good sign."

And the last Uchiha's mood became sullen once more, and he remained in isolation beside Sakura's side, holding on to her hand tightly, hoping that she would somehow return to her body and squeeze his hand in reassurance.

But Sakura never did such a thing.

On the fourth day, Sasuke was getting anxious. Nothing changed, nothing at all. Everything had remained the same. Her condition wasn't going downhill, but it wasn't going uphill either, and so Sasuke attempted to be patient. Occasionally he would plead with Sakura, and sometimes he would cry when no one else was around. He hoped that Sakura could hear him, and that she would respond.

But she didn't.

Finally, on the fifth day, there had been a slight change. Sakura's hand had twitched, and her heart rate became more rapid—not in a dangerous way, but in a way that made Sasuke realize that she was alert and conscious but stuck with her eyes closed, trapped within her own body.

Immediately Sasuke pushed the red button on the side of Sakura's bed, calling for a nurse.

To his relief, it had been both Tsunade and Shizune that rushed into the room, and not some amateur nurse.

"She's conscious," Sasuke said, looking up at Tsunade hopefully. "…Right?"

"You're correct," Tsunade said, beaming. "Sakura will recover. I'm positive of it! I knew she wouldn't give up so easily like that, _I knew it!"_ she pulled Shizune in a hug and sighed happily before she turned to Sasuke. "I suggest you go ahead and take a shower. Judging from her heart rate and the way she seems to be, not to mention that willpower of hers, she will be awake either today or tomorrow."

"I'm not leaving her side," Sasuke instantly growled. "I've been here for nearly a week, and I doubt she'll comment about my current state of dress."

Shizune stifled a grin. "But...well, to put it simply, you look like crap."

"It hasn't been an exactly _pleasant_ week for me," Sasuke said pointedly, and Shizune's face turned pink in embarrassment.

"Now, now," said Tsunade warningly, and Sasuke averted his gaze back onto Sakura's face.

Sasuke was somewhat relieved, though. The question was no longer _if_ Sakura would wake up, but was now _when_ she would wake up.

* * *

She could hear their voices, but she wasn't able to listen to them for too long; her body was still weak from the attack, so she found herself slipping in and out of consciousness. Finally, though, after what felt like _years,_ she felt more aware of herself. Somehow she knew that this was the day she'd be able to break free from herself and, after struggling for a bit, she managed to fight herself and force her eyes to flutter open.

It was at least late in the morning, or early noon, as light was seeping through the curtains along the window. She tried to sit up in bed, but her body was extremely sore; she had an IV in her hand, much to her horror; although she herself was a doctor and didn't mind putting IVs in people, she was fearful of sharp objects in general, so she felt slightly woozy at the sight. She quickly wrenched her gaze away from the IV and looked around the room, only for her gaze to land on her teammate that was beside her.

Sasuke's head was resting right beside her leg, his hand holding on to her hand that didn't have an IV stuck in it. He breathed deeply, and she noticed that his eyes looked more sunken in, and the dark circles seemed more prominent than usual. His skin had taken an unhealthy pallor about it, and she inwardly groaned. Did that boy not know how to take care of himself?

With great difficulty she squeezed his hand tightly. When he did not stir, she tried again, this time squeezing even harder; at once Sasuke's eyes opened, and he looked around the room with a dazed expression before his eyes locked with hers. A silence overcame them, and it wasn't broken until Sakura said in a gentle voice,

"Hey, Sasuke. Sorry. Did I make you worry?"

At once Sasuke was on his feet, leaning over her face before he smashed his lips against hers, his hand cradling the back of her neck as she returned the kiss with a passion. When the pulled apart for air, Sakura's heart monitor beeping quickly, he smiled down at her.

"You have _no idea_ what I went through," he told her. "Don't ever do that to me again."

"I'll try not to," she said with a playful smile, and, with a smile still on his face, Sasuke was about to lean down to capture her lips once more when the door slammed open, revealing Tsunade and Shizune.

Sasuke groaned as he sat back down, obviously annoyed that they ruined his moment, but Sakura gave him an impish smile that he couldn't help but return, those his looked more like a smirk.

Tsunade threw her arms around Sakura, carefully though, as Sakura was still sore. After telling Sakura what all had happened, she quickly ran some tests to make sure that all was right with Sakura's brain. Content that her student remembered everything up to the present, Tsunade had allowed Sakura to check out early from the hospital, though wanted to see her in a week's time to make sure that Sakura was having a decent recovery.

A few days went by, and when Naruto finally returned he had practically thrown himself at Sakura, causing the two of them to fall onto the ground (Sasuke had _not_ appreciated the way Naruto had been holding her on the ground, and had promptly used the 1,000 Years of Death technique that Kakashi had always been so fond of). Sakura had laughed, relieved that she was with her two teammates again, and the three of them had spent the entire day together, celebrating Sakura's recovery.

Unfortunately, though, Tsunade had practically forbidden Sakura from going on another mission for three more months, wanting to give Sakura the proper rest she deserved. Sakura hadn't been happy with that, but Sasuke had been particularly excited, relieved that his fiancé wouldn't have to be in any danger…for a while, anyways.

* * *

A few weeks had gone by since she had awakened, and in that time she had told Sasuke about how she had seen Itachi, and how he had been able to make her remember her reasons for living. Sakura also told Itachi's message meant for Sasuke. He had seemed surprised at first, but then a peaceful expression overtook his face, relieved that, even now after everything he'd done, his older brother still loved and cared for him.

The two of them were currently sitting on the front deck of the Uchiha estate, both of them watching the dazzling and beautiful fireworks light up the sky. Both had already been out in the Summer Festival, but now they were just relaxing, holding each other's hands and watching the sky with serene expressions on their faces.

Sasuke turned to look at her, looking as if he was struggling to say something, before he finally managed to get out, "I'm glad you didn't die."

"Me, too," said Sakura with a laugh. "I wouldn't be able to enjoy this with you if I had."

Sasuke continued to stare at her. Uncomfortable with his forward stare, and a little curious as to what the Uchiha was thinking, she turned to look at him. "What?" she asked. She immediately reached a hand to the top of her head. "Is there something in my hair?"

"I love you," Sasuke whispered, pulling her face towards his, gently kissing her lips. She didn't hesitate to return this kiss, her arms wrapping around her future husband.

And when the two of them finally parted for air, she smiled and said, "I love you, too."

* * *

**The End.**

**Yeah, I believe in happy endings. **

**Currently I'm really happy with the way the Naruto manga is going. I'm still hopeful that Sakura will end up with Sasuke!**

**Oh, and that show I mentioned before, Samurai Champloo, it's really good! But I wouldn't recommend it to people 14 and younger!**


End file.
